The field of the disclosure relates generally to flight simulation and, more specifically, to a flight simulator that utilizes both ScramNet protocols and Ethernet protocols, and methods of use.
Many known flight simulators include large static installations of aircraft cockpits, with flight controls, displays, instrumentation and other pilot interfaces, and out-the-window (OTW) displays. In some instances the aircraft cockpits include high-fidelity simulated hardware or actual flight hardware integrated into the flight simulation. Such hardware may include, for example, tactical displays, multi-function displays (MFDs), instrumentation, alert and warning indicators, heads-up displays (HUDs), flight controls, communication systems, and other avionics systems. Likewise, some flight simulators include high-fidelity OTW display systems including, for example, curved-screen projection systems, multi-panel display systems, or dome projection systems. High-fidelity flight simulators enable training, testing, and marketing of complex aircraft without the expense of actual flight time in actual aircraft, although such flight simulators are generally dedicated to a particular aircraft.
Flight simulators, static and mobile, generally include at least one processing system, e.g., a computer, that executes flight simulation software for controlling various pilot interfaces, including, for example, flight controls and various displays. Many high-fidelity flight simulators include multiple processing systems respectively dedicated to controlling one or more subsystem of the flight simulator. For example, a flight simulator may include one or more dedicated processing systems for controlling OTW displays, another processing system for controlling a cockpit display, such as, for example, an MFD or tactical display, and yet another processing system for controlling flight controls, such as, for example, a stick and throttle. Each of such processing systems executes a portion of flight simulation software, or simulation processes, for its dedicated purpose or function. At the core of the flight simulation software is a host process that coordinates among all other simulation processes, whether they are executed on a single processing system or distributed among multiple processing systems. The host process may include, for example, a math model that processes various inputs, such as, for example, flight control inputs and wind, to compute various outputs, or aircraft parameters, such as aircraft attitude, i.e., pitch, roll, and yaw, that represent the dynamics of the aircraft in simulated flight. The aircraft parameters are then communicated among the various simulation processes to enable each to carry out its dedicated purpose or function. For example, an OTW process receives the aircraft's simulated position and attitude and uses it to determine what OTW scenery to render.
It is often necessary for communication among the various simulation processes in a high-fidelity flight simulator to be carried out in real time, e.g., synchronized and low-latency, to maintain the realistic look and feel demanded of such systems. Many flight simulators utilize sophisticated communication protocols, such as, for example, reflective shared memory, e.g., ScramNet, to satisfy the real-time constraint. Sophisticated communication protocols typically require specialized hardware and software that introduces costs, complexity, and bulk to the flight simulator. Accordingly, it is realized herein, a flight simulator that is mobile, configurable for multiple aircraft, operable in real time, and affordable is desired.